The more you learn, the more you can appreciate how the fur-trimmed figure said to deliver children's presents in wintertime has evolved into quite a complex figure.
His origin story dates back to 280 A.D. around modern-day Turkey, according to History.com, and contemporary celebrations of his legacy take place all around the world in various forms. Depictions of Santa and Santa-adjacent characters range from joyful, to commercial, to controversial, to somewhat horrific (hello, Krampus). It makes sense why so many stories are inspired by our modern-day desire to truly "solve" this lasting magical mystery. How can we truly understand something that takes so many different shapes?
Whatever name or image your family goes with — Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, or Jultomten — we imagine you’ve added your own lines to the story. And as you should. Like other lasting legends, its power lies in the re-telling and re-imagining.
